Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

[John Lapic]

I recently acquired a 71 Johnson 9.5 and have not had it in the water yet. I have been asking for information on it through various posts. It is interesting to me that comments on this motor range from "one of the best little motors around" to "one of the weak links in the Johnson product line". I am not sure these comments come from personal experience. If anyone has one or has some real experience with one, I would appreciate some insight. I heard a real problem was with vibration mounts that fail and are no longer available.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

The 9.5hp model design was as good a design as any other and suffered no more problems than any other. It was simply a difficult model to work on unless one knew exactly what they were doing. It's main selling point was that it was just under the 10hp limit range (various lakes etc limited the hp from 10hp up), and that it sat low on the transom which eliminated interference of a fishing rod contacting the hood.

When time permits, visit my store (copy/paste) at: stores.ebay.com/Evinrude-Johnson-Outboard-Parts-etc?refid=store

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

I've used them but have never owned one. My OMC dealer once told me that they are great motors but hard to work on. If you pull the cover, you will notce that the powerhead is very compact and fits within the cowl very closely. If I remember correctly, the carb is on the side of the motor and there are a few other peculiarities.

I just surfed the net a bit to refresh my memory and it looks like the motor was produced between 1963 and 1974. That ought to be long enough for some availablity of used parts via the classifieds and auction sites. New parts availability might be another thing so I'm not surprised about your fear about the vibration mounts.

 

[John Lapic]

Re: Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

Jay - while I have not found vibration mounts, I have been surprised about how many parts I can find. They are pricy but most are available.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

That's great. Really, as long as it is in good shape now, you will probably get many years of service from it.

 

[F_R]

Re: Is my 1971 Johnson 9.5 a gem or a dog?

I've probably spoken on one of your other posts. I was a mechanic in an Evinrude shop when the 9.5s were new. I have much experience working on them. As you found out, one either loves them or hates them. Yes, mount replacement is very intimidating if you don't know what you are doing. Trouble is they need a lot of replacing and are no longer made. That's my negative talk, my positive talk is that I do like them--they are good motors.